SMITH BRAIN TRUST — Most studies of the interactions between companies and consumers look at one piece of the puzzle: Advertising or social media or news coverage or "consumer sentiment" as measured in surveys. An ambitious new study from the Robert H.

SMITH BRAIN TRUST — Does China’s first quarter GDP growth of 6.7 percent signal that the country is solidly on course for growth between 6.5 and 7 percent per year by 2020 — a key benchmark to its recently adopted five-year plan? “Let’s be cauti

SMITH BRAIN TRUST - While the Federal Reserve is expected to forego an interest rate increase, but “keep options open,” such a hike should not be avoided and can be better adapted to if the Fed projects it for this summer and announces it now, says economist and longtime Fed watcher Peter Morici at the University of Marylan

James Sanders, adjunct professor in the management and organization department at the Robert H. Smith School of Business, recently conducted an action research project in Belarus, which was developed through the Smith School’s Center for International Business Education and Research (CIBER).

A Cyber Risk Portal that engages organizations in anonymously measuring their cybersecurity capabilities against industry standards and their peers and competitors is a University of Maryland “Invention of the Year” finalist—an honor to be announced as part of a Celebration of Innovation and Partnerships event (invitation only) on May 9, 2016 at the University House.

People are constantly looking for insight on the keys to being a successful leader. A new forthcoming book explores the insights current and aspiring leaders can learn through poetry. In this edition of Smith Business Close-Up with the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business, Gaurav Bhalla talks about his new book project that uses poetry to illustrate leadership lessons. Bhalla is an adjunct faculty member in Smith’s marketing department.

The results of the latest National Technology Readiness Survey (NTRS), which shows the on-demand economy continuing to flourish, were featured in the April 14, 2016 Harvard Business Review. The on-demand economy is driven by companies with technology platforms that allow them to cater to consumer needs by immediately providing goods and services. Examples include established companies, such as eBay and Etsy, and recent startups, such as Uber and Airbnb.

SMITH BRAIN TRUST — Cadillac has just opened a state-of-the-art $1.3 billion plant outside Shanghai, and it plans to open another $1 billion factory in Wuhan next year.

SMITH BRAIN TRUST — Experts from the University of Maryland’s Robert H.

SMITH BRAIN TRUST — The Treasury Department continues to tighten its rules to prevent corporate "inversions" — the move in which a U.S. company merges with a smaller foreign company, then shifts its official location abroad to avoid the U.S.